The vocal Linux community has been asking Valve for a Linux native Steam
client for some time now, but Valve has stated this was not to be, saying simply
in their FAQ: "The Steam Client is strictly a Windows application, and there
are no current plans to create a native Linux Steam Client at this time."
Perhaps inspired by the hope provided by "no current plans" and "at
this time," Linux fans have continued inquiring about this, leading to
a post on the Steam Users Forums that says Valve's stance on this issue has
been stated repeatedly, and "The next person who posts a new thread on this
issue will be banned." This has inspired a heated discussion on
Digg (thanks Ant) that seems pretty well divided between those who feel
this is a disservice to the community, and those who are more sympathetic to
Valve's position. Many posts repeat the salient point that a native Linux Steam
client will not do anything to help Windows games run under Linux without
emulation anyway.